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Lincoln County High School senior Woods Smith has taken his high school swim career as far as it can go for a third straight season, qualifying for the 2020 KHSAA State Swimming and Diving Championships.

Smith became the first Patriot swimmer to qualify for the state as a sophomore, claiming the runner-up spot in the 50-yard freestyle and making the cut in at-large times in the 100-yard freestyle during regional competition. He qualified in the same events as a junior, making the at-large times cut in both.

And now he’s done it again in the 50-yard freestyle event.

The top two finishers in each swim event at region qualify for the state meet. In addition to the top two finishers, the next 22 at-large times from each event also advance to state, and that is how Smith earned his third straight trip to state

Smith’s strong performance in the 50-yard freestyle event at the Region 6 Championships at the Falling Springs Center in Versailles was good enough – again – to make the cut in at-large times and earn him a spot in the 2020 state finals.

Smith missed the automatic cut in the 50-yard freestyle by two spots, placing fourth overall in the championship race with a time of 23.32 seconds. He earned his spot in the region finals with a time of 23.88 seconds in the preliminaries.

Campbell Coyle, a Boyle County junior who finished as runner-up last year, won the event in a time of 21.67 seconds. Cole Janzow, a Woodford County junior, finished as runner-up in 22.39 seconds and Reese Morgan, a West Jessamine senior, edged past Woods for third in 23.30 seconds.

There is a chance that Smith could also swim in his third 100-yard freestyle race at state, as he was named a second alternate in the event. If two other competitors fail to show for the state race, he will swim.

Smith, who had qualified on time in the 100 freestyle the previous two seasons, placed fourth overall at this year’s regionals with a time of 51.85 seconds. His preliminary time in the event was 52.84 seconds.

Coyle touched the wall ahead of Smith in the 100-yard freestyle, as well, winning the event with a time of 48.39 seconds. Harrison Albright, a North Oldham senior, placed second in 49.40 seconds, and Jonah Punnett, a South Oldham freshman, was third in 51.62.

Smith will be competing in his final state high school swim championships Feb 20-22 at the Lancaster Aquatics Center on the University of Kentucky campus in Lexington.

Lincoln County had more than one representative hitting the pool at regionals, with a total of six Patriot swimmers and nine Lady Patriot swimmers competing at Falling Springs. The Patriots placed ninth out of 17 teams at regionals while the girls finished 11th out of 17.

The Lincoln swimmers and divers combined for a total of six Top 8 finishes at regionals, adding three sixth-place finishes and a seventh-place showing to Smith’s finishes.

Heather Barnett, an LCHS sophomore, was the only other Lincoln individual in the Top 8, placing sixth in the girls 1-meter diving event with a score of 153.30.

Relays provided Lincoln’s other two sixth-place finishes, with the team of Molly Viands (eighth grade), Emmalee Patterson (sophomore), Sydney Brown (eighth grade) and Katie Smith (freshman) completing the girls 400-yard freestyle relay in 4:32.14 and the team of Dalton Patterson (senior), Luke Listrom (junior), Kade Bandura (senior) and Smith turning in a time of 1:42.35 in the boys 200-yard freestyle relay.

Brown also had a Top 8 finish in the girls 100-yard butterfly event, placing seventh in 1:07.55.

Lincoln’s overall results follow by event:

Girls 200-Yard Medley Relay: 10) Lincoln Co. 2:16.52 (Katie Beth Smith, Molly Viands, Sydney Brown, Emmalee Patterson) – prelims time, 2:15.12.

Boys 200-Yard Medley Relay: 9) Lincoln Co. 1:55.66 (Kade Bandura, Dalton Patterson, Woods Smith, Luke Listrom) – prelims time, 1:58.19.

Girls 200-Yard Freestyle Prelims: 26) Molly Viands 2:48.80.

Boys 200-Yard IM Prelims: Dalton Patterson 2:38.13.

Girls 50-Yard Freestyle Prelims: 21) Katie Beth Smith 29.44; 29) Gracie Reed 32.39; 38) Lucy Singleton 34.39.

Boys 50-Yard Freestyle: 4) Woods Smith 23.32.

Boys 50-Yard Freestyle Prelims: 6) Woods Smith 23.88;  21) Kade Bandura 27.60; 51) Daniel Pence 34:80; 57) Bradley Adams 39.43.

Girls 1-Meter Diving: 6) Heather Barnett 153.30 – semifinal and prelim scores, 126.10, 79.85.

Girls 100-Yard Butterfly: 7) Sydney Brown 1:07.55 – prelims time, 1:08.98.

Girls 100-Yard Freestyle Prelims: 18) Emmalee Patterson 1:06.46; 36) Madison Caudill 1:20.33; 42) Lucy Singleton 1:25.72.

Boys 100-Yard Freestyle: 4) Woods Smith 51.85.

Boys 100-Yard Freestyle Prelims: 4) Woods Smith 52.84; 32) Kade Bandura 1:04.06; 33) Luke Listrom 1:04.62; 50) Daniel Pence 1:20.07.

Girls 500-Yard Freestyle: 11) Sydney Brown 6:10.22.

Girls 500-Yard Freestyle Prelims: 11) Sydney Brown 6:10.96; 20) Katie Beth Smith 6:42.85.

Girls 200-yard Freestyle Relay: 10) Lincoln Co. 2:21.32 (Heather Barnett, Makenzie Deaton, Madison Caudill, Gracie Reed) – prelims time 2:18.74.

Boys 200-Yard Freestyle Relay: 6) Lincoln Co. 1:42.35 (Dalton Patterson, Luke Listrom, Kade Bandura, Woods Smith) – prelims time 1:44.41.

Girls 100-Yard Backstroke Prelims: 32) Gracie Reed 1:30.09; 40) Heather Barnett 1:46.05; 44) Makenzie Deaton 1:57.25.

Girls 100-Yard Breaststroke: 12) Emmalee Patterson 1:23.85.

Girls 100-Yard Breaststroke Prelims: 11) Emmalee Patterson 1:24.63; 25) Molly Viands 1:32.20.

Boys 100-Yard Breaststroke: 12) Dalton Patterson 1:09.73.

Boys 100-Yard Breaststroke Prelims: 10) Dalton Patterson 1:09.20;42) Bradley Adams 1:49.70.

Girls 400-Yard Freestyle Relay: 6) Lincoln Co.  4:32.14 (Molly Viands, Emmalee Patterson, Sydney Brown, Katie Beth Smith) – prelims time, 4:39.79.

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